Field Note Feature & GPX Export

Question

I am looking for a way in Cachly to save log entries as field notes that can be included in GPX file exports.The purpose of this is to support offline caching and logging via GSAK.Instead of posting a log entry to GC.com I prefer to take field notes that include information about the cache comprising of the date, current time, log type and notes about where I found the cache and what the cache was.All this information would be included in a field note that can be exported out of Cachly as a GPX file and then imported into GSAK.In addition to this automatically marking the cache in the GSAK database as found or DNF, the date & time information along with any notes taken about the cache would be displayed in the GSAK user note section.Another advantage of doing this in a GPX export file is if the cache information is not already in a GSAK database all the information is included in the GPX file to populate most of the common GSAK database fields.When using the GSAK publish log feature, the GSAK user notes are displayed on the screen which I use to help jar my memory about the specific cache details as I compose my individual log entries along with a GSAK template.This is very helpful on days when large number of caches are found or on multiday caching adventures where logging may take place at a later date.

This works real well for caching in places where one has no “Live Data connection” or when one just wants to write their cache logs using a larger screen and keypad as opposed to a mobile device.The field notes can contain as much or as little information one wants to write about the cache.Currently in Cachly there is the Cache Note feature but it gets exported as a GC.com note on the cache page.It can be seen by GSAK but does not mark the cache status in the GSAK data base and does not take advantage of the nice template function the Log function uses.

The implementation of this function would require a switch in the Setting page under Log Defaults that would be something like “Save as Field Note”.This will allow one to take advantage of the existing Log Type templates already in Cachly. If this switch is set to ON then this field note information would be embedded in the GPX information for each cache that had a log type entry ( i.e. Found it or DNF etc).

Also there would need to be a page that lists all the caches with field notes.On this page one would be able turn on or off the export of each cache listed as well as initiate the export of the GPX file.One GPX file would be generated for all the caches that are listed with field notes and that have the export feature enabled.

On multiday caching adventures on could export out a GPX field note file that would contain all the information on caches sought after in each day.Then one could load each file into a different GSAK database I.E. day1, day2, etc. so each day could be separated out for logging purposes if one chooses.

This field note feature currently exists in geosphere but with the deprecation of that application it would be nice to have this feature in Cachly.

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I would like to export a pending log into GSAK with a GPX file, not as a text file. This way the cache will automatically be marked as found in the GSAK database and the the pending log information will populate the User Note Field in GSAK. Currently in Cachly I have to highlight all the caches I want to export. Only option for export currently are 1) All caches, 2) All Visible or 3) Highlight Caches. This requires me to manually highlight all caches that I want to export. Adding a 4 option of "Caches with Pending logs" should take care of this.

In building the GPX file for these caches with pending logs add the following tags:

<gsak:wptExtension xmlns:gsak="http://www.gsak.net/xmlv1/5">
<gsak:UserFlag>false</gsak:UserFlag> **This clears the GSAK user Flag
<gsak:DNF>false</gsak:DNF> ** This clears the DNF if the log type in not a DNF
<gsak:UserFound>2018-06-01</gsak:UserFound> ** This inserts the date the pending log was created if found
<gsak:LastGpxDate>2018-05-28</gsak:LastGpxDate>
<gsak:Code>GC729JW</gsak:Code> **This is the GC code for the cache the log entry belongs to
<gsak:IsPremium>true</gsak:IsPremium> ** If it is a Premium cache
<gsak:FavPoints>3</gsak:FavPoints> ** The number of favorite points the cache has
<gsak:LogImages/>
</gsak:wptExtension>

Here are the tags need to transfer the field note (pending log information) to the GSAK User Note

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Have you looked into using offline list filtering to narrow down the caches you want to export as GPX?

The feature request you posted does sound interesting, but I am concerned about how many users would find it useful and something that they would use often. I need to make sure to invest my development time into features that will benefit the entire Cachly community. That being said, I appreciate the suggestion and will log it as a feature request for further thought.

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This primary benefit of this function are folks who do offline logging for whatever reason and utilize GSAK . Also GSAK users who want to automate getting cache information (Field note) about caches found/not found into a GSAK found database.

I have looked into the offline export filter but the main problem I have is the exported GPX file that Cachly generates does not contain the GSAK tags to automatically mark the cache status, the date the cache was found and copy the log text into the GSAK user Notes field in GSAK. A painful work around that I was playing with was using the Cachly Cache Note feature that would upload the cache note to GC.com then I would do a refresh in my GSAK database that contained the cache which would grab the note from GC.com and copy it to the GSAK GC.com note area, then run a GSAK macro to copy the GC.com note in the GSAK User Note. Another is currently the Cachly Note section does not take advantage of the Cachly Log template feature so I have to manually type in the Log Type, Date and Time when creating the note. I have a Cachly template in the log feature that does this in cachly.

I currently use Geosphere just for this feature and it works great. I have seen in some previous post in your forum of user requesting the field note list feature from a Geosphere screen shot which is related to this.

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My main goal is to get a field notes, not a log entry into GSAK. I do all of my caching offline and I prefer to write my log entries when I get home where I have a big screen and keyboard on my desktop computer and I and don't have to deal with the sun glare on my phone screen and I can use the publish logs features in GSAK. I will publish a FTF log entry on my phone on FTFs as we have a lot of competition in my area for FTFs to alert other cachers that it was found. This log entry will be something like "FTF more later" where I can generate a more appropriate log entry at home.

I also use field notes for creating notes on virtual & earthcaches as most of these requires one to gather information to be submitted later.

My workflow is as follows:

When I find a cache I make a field note about the cache that will remind me later on what it was. A typical field not would be "Ammo can behind large boulder 10 feet off trail" or "HIde a Key in third Guard rail post, log sheet was saturated so I replaced it with a new one", etc. Also the date and time is included in this field note. These notes are not something I want to publish as log entries.

When I get home I upload all these field notes (one GPX export transfers all these notes to the GSAK user note section of each cache plus marks the cache as either found or DNF in my GSAK data base) and then I can use the publish logs function in GSAK to log all the caches. I'll generate a template for the logs in GSAK and I can customize the log entry as these field note information is visible on the same screen to help jar my memory about the specifics of each cache.

After publishing the log entries to GC.com using GSAK I then transfer all my found cache from this database to a GSAK "Found" data base where I currently have a record of all the caches I have found. I run another macro that transfer this information automatically to another program on my phone. Now when I get the "Phone a Friend" call for help in locating a cache all I have to do is enter a GC code or a partial name of the cache they are looking for and I instantly get the date I found it, the time I found it, and the field note cache details on the specific cache they are looking for. I have the process of getting this information into my phone automated as long as I have my field note in the GSAK user note section.

I find this process works very well for multi day trips where cache logging can not take place every day. I just do a field note GPX file export at the end of each day to my drop box account and now I have one GPX file for each day of caching that I will load in GSAK database files I call day1, day2, etc. The advantage of using GPX files over text files is I don't have to have any prior cache information in the specific GSAK database file as all information about the cache is embedded in the GPX fie.

Sorry for the long answer to your question but I thought it might help to understand my workflow as to why I am looking for this feature.

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Cache notes do not export in a GPX file format and they don't take advantage of the Cachly template features. The cache note are design to go up to the GC.com personal cache note on each cache page. Great feature but not what I am looking for.

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My main goal is to get a field notes, not a log entry into GSAK. I do all of my caching offline and I prefer to write my log entries when I get home where I have a big screen and keyboard on my desktop computer

This sounds like what the newish gc.com drafts are for: upload a draft log from Cachly, edit on gc.com, then submit it.

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What @GeoKen is asking for is more about the output format than the function of creating a log. In the end,you'd log a Find, DNF, Note, etc in Cachly but the target for field notes would be the old style CSV file format that doesn't go direct to GC.com . The current draft to GC.com leverages the API and there's no export/import. The old style field notes was a CSV export such as from your GPS, that you manipulate as a CSV or upload to GC.com or, which is what @GeoKen wants to do, upload it to GSAK.

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The issue with this approach is getting the exported note into GSAK. GSAK will only import a txt file if it has a tab-delimited 2 item field with the 1st item the GSAK code and the 2nd item the note.

Not sure how to get a txt note in with multi GC numbers and multi notes from the currently cachly txt file output.

Playing around with the cachly export pending logs as a txt file function, I could get this information into GSAK by modifying the Cachly txt file output in a txt editor. The format I found that worked:

GCcode#1<TAB>Pending log#1<CR>

<CR>

GCCode#2<TAB>Pending log#2<CR>

etc...

This will not update the cache status (found, DNF etc) in the GSAK database or create the cache information if it does not exist in the GSAK database like a GPX file would but the pending log information does populate the GSAK user note field.

Now if this same output could be in a GPX format using the standard gpx tags all data would populate the correct fields.

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The .txt file feature was specifically built for GSAK and I worked with GSAK users to build it. Many of these users use the feature daily.

I think the issue is you are looking at the wrong import dialog in GSAK. Please see this post where I show how to do it (about half-way down):

The export txt file feature of Cachly does work for getting the pending log information into the GSAK publish logs fetch function and I would not suggest changing that. I am trying to see if there is also a way to utilize the Cachly pending log export function to get this text into the GSAK user note section. This is a different function in GSAK. Seems the export file has to be a little different for the GSAK user note to recognize it and pick it up.

In summary I am try to get a field note into the GSAK user note section. My first approach was to see if there was a way to take advantage to the Cachly template function and pending log feature to create and export out the notes but since this export was designed for the fetch file in the publish logs of GSAK (which it works) a different approach will be needed. My suggestion is a GPX file that includes the tags to include the pending log text. This is how Geosphere does it. There maybe other ways too?

Copy field notes to GSAK user notes - Select this option to have any field notes automatically update the GSAK user notes section. See Waypoint=>Add/change/delete notes.

Is this what you are looking for? If not, consider the approach of asking in the GSAK forum how to take what is available to you, explain what you want from it, and see what they suggest. If it's just not possible, maybe you or someone will write a GSAK macro to do it.

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Copy field notes to GSAK user notes - Select this option to have any field notes automatically update the GSAK user notes section. See Waypoint=>Add/change/delete notes.

Is this what you are looking for? If not, consider the approach of asking in the GSAK forum how to take what is available to you, explain what you want from it, and see what they suggest. If it's just not possible, maybe you or someone will write a GSAK macro to do it.

I just got around around to playing with the Copy field notes to GSAK user notes option and it works if and only if the caches are all ready in the GSAK database that is displayed when the "Publish Logs" is selected. If the cache or some of the caches are not in the database (or spread across a couple of different GSAK databases) it will not automatically create a GSAK database entry for the one that are missing like a GPX file would. The workaround would be one would have to create a single GSAK database with all caches that have field note entries first then use the Copy field notes to GSAK user notes option to import the text file. This is doable just not a one step process like it would be if the import file with the field notes was a GPX file instead of a txt file.